The History of the Collections

Bangor University Library's Arthurian and Celtic studies collections have their inception at the time the University Library was founded in 1884, when donations were made by local supporters as well as by scholars and members of staff.

Recently Flintshire County Libraries has kindly donated its Arthurian Collection to Bangor University; where it now is being curated, preserved and managed by the Library and Archives Service. The collection, which is of major interest to scholars and general readers, was originally donated to Flintshire County Libraries in 1952 by E. R. Harries, a former librarian of the county. Flintshire and Clwyd library services, then added further stock. It now contains over 2,000 items of interest to scholars and general readers alike. This collection enhances Bangor's existing collection, in particular through the addition of further rare books. Scholars who would have previously had to travel to both Mold and Bangor will now find these resources in the same location.

The arrival of the Flintshire Harries Arthurian collection, a predominantly, though not exclusively English-language collection of post-medieval rare books and criticism, predominantly on English-language legends, was celebrated with a launch in April 2015, including a public lecture given by Dr Roger Simpson and an exhibition of rare books from the Bangor and Flintshire Harries collections, curated by Prof. Raluca Radulescu and Shan Robinson. Find out more...